Tuesday, October 17, 2017

The Qatar-Arab Conflict

To me, it was an unexpected conflict that has occurred between the Persian Gulf nation as Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have accused Qatar of supporting things that are in conflict with their own likings. After keep quiet for a time, the above mentioned countries sent Qatar 13 demands, out of which the major ones were, stop supporting terrorists’ organizations, close Al-Jazeera network, close down the Turkish military bases and downgrade or complete break relations with Iran. And in order to enforce these demands, they have closed borders with Qatar and imposed other sanctions. IT all started with Saudi Arabia imposing sanctions and you already know that United Arab Emirates and tiny Bahrain will follow suit. Egypt being the largest recipient of Saudi Aid had to follow, although it has its own issues with Qatar supporting Muslim Brotherhood organization which opposes the Egyptian government.
To me, the most surprising aspect was all the states involved are Sunni states or are ruled by Sunni rulers. And Qatar is also a member of a regional group called Gulf Cooperation Council, a group, dominated by Saudi Arabia, is planning to expel Qatar if their demands are not met. The United States and Kuwait has tried to use their influence to defuse the escalating tensions but have not succeeded thus far. And Qatar is not ready to budge from tis stance as it deems these tactics as bullying a small neighbor. And by the recent statements from United Arab Emirates, this conflict will not be resolved soon.